For the first time in decades, the institutions fell out of the top-3 in the newspaper’s higher education guide
The UK’s two oldest and historically most prestigious universities, Oxford and Cambridge, have been knocked out of the top three rankings for the first time in decades, according to The Times’ own guide.
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide ranks institutions based on teaching quality, student experience and graduate prospects.
For the first time in the guide’s 32-year history, the two oldest institutions slid down to joint fourth place, the newspaper wrote on Friday.
The London School of Economics took first place for the second consecutive year, with St Andrews in second and Durham University finishing third.
Despite slipping in the overall rankings, Cambridge continued to dominate in individual subjects, topping 14 subject tables, it added.
Oxford was named medical school of the year for 2026, according to The Times.
The institution has faced a scandal in recent days after incoming president of the Oxford Union, George Abaraonye, celebrated conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination on social media.
The debate society condemned his words, stressing that they do not represent its views, and expressed condolences to Kirk’s wife and two children. Enough members of the Oxford Union have supported a no-confidence motion to remove the president-elect, according to The Telegraph.
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